Merry-go-round.



' N0- 660,l68 Pat t d 0 23 -E. P. scum-TT. e" e ct '900' MERRY-EU-BOUND.

(Appngtion and un. 11, 1899.)

a sheets-sheet l.

(No Modei.)

TME NORM PETERS on. PNoTmLHHa, WASHINGTON. n. c.

No. 660,I68. Patented Oct. 23, |900.

` E. P. SCH T.

MERRY-.G-R D..

(APPliCBtion med Har. 11. 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

f '7 l l 40-660,168. Patented oct. 23, |900. E. P. scHmTr.

`mEYGo0uNn- (Application led In. 11, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Fab. z5

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

EDMUND P. scHMrrnloF cI-IIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

MERRY-'Go-ROUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 660,168, dated October 23, 1900.

i Application iiledvMarch 11, 1899 serial No. 708,702.' (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDMUND P. ScHMITT,`of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Merry-Go-Rounds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specicatiomin which similar numerals of reference in the different ligures indicate like parts.

My invention relates to that class of amusement devices commonly known as merrygo-rounds, in which passengers ride upon seats or supports suspended from the ends of a series of horizontal radial arms extending its relation to the vertical, so as to imparta sinuous movement to the riders in a constant or varying degree, all of which is hereinafter more particularly described and definitely claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the main actuating mechanismand one arm of my improved device.' Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view in detail of the supporting-frame and bearings of my improved device. Fig. 3 is a plan view in detail of the trunnioned ring upon which is mounted the spider to which the frame is attached and by which it is suspended. Fig. 4L is an enlarged vertical sectional view in detail of the clutch mounted upon the main driving-shaft for actuating thev rotating frame, and Fig.V 5 is a like view of a similar clutch upon the shaft intended to impart special motion thereto.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the main supporting-frame of my improved machine,which consists, preferably, offfour rigid timbers arranged to form a wide supportingbase and converging at the top, so as to con'- nect with sockets forming a part of a castmetal bearing-plate 2, to which they are rigidly attached by means of bolts 3, as shown. Projecting above the main surface of the plate 2 is an annular raised portion 4, Fig. 2, which'is slanted downwardly and outwardly in all directions from the center,l as shown, thus forming a tread or circular track upon which is mounted a series of conical rollers 5, the axes of which respectively consist of bolts 6, which are tapped into bores 7, formed in a ring 8, having a depending iiange 9 adapted to fit within the circle formed by the raised portion 4 of the supporting plate. Mounted upon the rol1er-bearings 5, of which ordinarily there would be about sixteen in number, is a heavy circular pillow-block 10, vhaving a tread adapted to rest upon and it said conical roller-bearings, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Upon opposite sides of the pillowblock 10, diametrically placed, are bearings adapted to receive trunnions 11 11, (see also Fig. 3,) formed upon opposite sides of a ring 12, which is alsoprovided with like trunnions 13 13, which serve as a support for a circular spider 14, formed from cast metal, to which is rigidly bolted a series of radial arms `15, to which may be suspended or secured, as shownr or in any well-known way, the usual chairs 16 for the accommodation of passengers.

Extending upwardly from the spider 14, into which it is centrally tapped, is a cylindrical steel or iron pipe forming a central .mast or support 17, upon the top of which is rigidly attached acast-metal head 18, to which is securedl by means of suitable bolts, as

shown, aseries of supporting-rods 19, which are connected, respectively, in an approved manner with the outer ends of the radial arms 15. In the head 18 is formed a central bore through which is loosely passedasecondary pipe 20, upon the upper end off which is tapped a nut 21, which yis in contact with the head 18 and serves to hold the pipe 20 in` rings l2 and S and through central openingsA IOO in the pillow-block 10 and plate 2, said open? A ings being sufficiently large to permit of a considerable oscillatory movement ofV the pipe 2O therein in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter specified. The pipe 2O is bent near its lower end, as shown in Fig. 1, and upon said end is rigidly secured a guideblock 22, which is notched, so as to engage loosely with a guide-liange 23, extending diametrically across and formed upon the upper side of a beveled gear-wheel 24, which is j ournaled upon a vertical support 25, rigidly atn tached to the frame. The guide-block 22 is connected by means of a link 26 to a lug 27 upon a block 28, arranged above the gear-wheel 24. A link 30, attached loosely to a lng 29 upon a block 28, is connected in like manner at its opposite end to a lug 31, extending upwardly from one end of the flange 23. A secondary block 32 is swiveled in a bore formed in the block 28. Upon the lower side of the swiveled block 32 is an eye 33, to which is loosely connected a depending link 34, having an eye 35 at its lower end, to which is attached cords 36 37, the former being trained beneath a pulley 38, over a pulley 39, and beneath a pulley 40 and havingits opposite end attached to a windlass 41, which is adapted to be actuated by means of a hand-wheel 42, mounted upon the frame, while the cord 37 is trained over a pulley 43 and beneath pulleys 39 and 40 and has its end attached to the opposite side of the windlass 41 from that to which the cord 36 is secured. As the function of the cord 36 is to pull down upon the link 34, so that of the cord 37, which, as stated, is also attached to the eye 35 of said link, is to pull upwardly thereon when the tension is released upon the cord 36 and applied to cord 37. A double ratchet-and-pawl mechanism (not shown) of any well-known form may be used to hold the windlass temporarily in a given position; but the machine is preferably used without it. As a result of this construction when the hand-wheel 42 is yrotated in a given direction one cord is wound upon and the other unwound from the windlass, thus causing said cords to move in opposite directions, thereby forcing the link 34 up or down, as desired, and thus tilting the lower end of the shaft 20 to any degree desired orholding it vertically at the will of the operator. For example, as the cords'are shown to be adjusted when the hand-wheel is rotated to the left the cord'36 is caused to pull down upon the link 34, which results, through the combined action of the inclined links 26 3U, in pushing the block 22 farther away from the center of the gear 24, which throws the shaft or pipe 2O out of plumb. This action is permitted as a result of the double trunnion movement of the spider 14 and ring 12, and as a result of said movement the entire seat supporting framework is tilted so that the normally-horizontal arms 15 are more or less inclined to the plane of the horizon. By a reversal of the hand-wheel the link 34 is forced upwardly, thus drawing the lower end of the shaft 2O nearer to the center of the gear 24, which causes the shaft 20 to coincide with the verthe additional means for imparting special motions thereto.

While it is obvious that any form of motor may be employed for actuating the machine,- I have shown in the drawings a gas-engine 44 for that purpose. Upon the engine-shaft 45 is mounted a worm 46, which engages a `loosely mounted upon a shaft` 52.

Worm-gear 47 upon a horizontal driving-shaft 48, having a sprocket-wheel 49 keyed thereto. Said sprocket-wheel is connected by means of a sprocket-chain 50 to a sprocket-wheel 51, A clutch 53, keyed to the shaft 52, is adapted to be `thrown into and out of gear by means of the usual hand-lever 54. A sprocket-wheel is connected by means of a sprocket-chain 56 to a sprocket-wheel 57 upon a short shaft 58,

. journaled in a bearing 59 upon the under side of the plate 2. A beveled pinion 60 (see also Fig. 2) is mounted upon the shaft 58 and is adapted to'engage with a beveled gear form ed upon the outer rim of the circular pillowblock 10. The rotation of the'pinion 60 through the train of mechanism described causes the pillow-block to rotate upon the roller-bearings, thereby rotating the entire movable framework of the machine around the central axis.

I will now describe the means for imparting aspecial movement to the carrying-frarne work in addition to that already specified.

Keyed to the shaft 48 is a secondary sprocket-wheel 62, which is connected by means of a sprocket-chain 63 to a sprocket-wheel 64, loosely mounted upon a shaft 65. A clutch 66 is keyed to said shaft, which is adapted to be thrown into and out of engagement with the sprocket-wheel 64 by means of a clutchlever 67, which enables the shaft 65 to be started or stopped. at will, whether the shaft 52 be in operation or not. Apinion upon the end of the shaft 65 is adapted to engage with the gear 24, the rotation of which causes the shaft 2O to be rotated in turn. This rotation isindepend'ent of that of the pipe or mast 17, and when the hand-wheel 42 is in position to permit the shaft 2O to coincide with the theoretical axis of the machine when the arms 15 are horizontal no modification of the movement of the former results; but when the shaft 2O is thrown by the movement of the hand-Wheel 42 into a `position oblique to said axis an undulatory or wave-like movement is imparted to the Aarms 15 the degree of which is dependent `upon the extent of movement of the handwheel, while its periodicity, upon which depends the number of wave movements in a given cycle, is controlled by the relative speed of the gear-wheel 24 and that of the gear upon the outer rimof the circular pillow-block 10,

IOO

assuming the two to rotate in the same direction-that is to say, if the shaft 2O is caused to make four revolutions in the same direction to one revolution of the main frame then four wave movements will be imparted to the frame during each revolution thereof and more or less in proportion as the relative speed of the two is varied; but it is obvious that the same result may be accomplished by reversing the movement of the gear 24 and that when so reversed the same number of wave movements of the frame may be produced with a proportionate decrease in speed of said gear.

The operation of my improved machine is as follows: Assuming the hand-wheel 42 to be turned to its normal position, so that the shaft 2O is vertical, the clutch 67 to be disengaged, and the clutch 53 engaged, the starting of the motor causes the arms 15 to revolve around a vertical axis; but upon moving the handwheel 42 this movement may be varied to represent what is known *as a roller-coaster movement-that is, alternately up and down an incline with each revolution, the pitch of the incline being varied at will by the extent to which the hand-wheel is turned. By causing the clutch 66 to be brought into engagement the'movement may be still further varied, as stated, to represent a series of undulations with each revolution, like the movement of a boat upon the waves.

It is obvious that if the mechanism directly controlling the actionof the shaft 20 were rigid in its character the machine would be broken; but the toggle -joint principle involved in the links 26 and 30 and their connections permits the same to yield sufficiently und er strain to avoid any injury to the mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a revoluble passenger-carrying fra1ne,acentraluniversal-jointed support, a revoluble pillow-block maintained upon a rigid frame, means for rotating said pillowblock,a central vertical mast extending above said central jointed support-,said mast having inclined rods extending radially therefrom to support the radiating arms of the carryingframe, a central vertical shaft journaled within said mast and extending downwardly through and below the pillow block and means for moving the lower end of said shaft laterally, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a revoluble passenger-carrying frame, a central universal-jointed support,

a revoluble pillow-block maintained upon a rigid frame, means for rotating said pillowblock, a central vertical mast extending above said central jointed support, said mast having inclined rods extending radially therefrom to support the radiating arms of the carryingframe, a central vertical shaft journaled within said mast and extending downwardly through and below the pillow-block, means for moving the lower end of said shaft later ally while the machine or main frame is in motion, and means for rotating the lower end of said depending shaft around a common center at a different rate of speed than that imparted to the main frame, whereby an undulatory movement may beim parted to the arms of the latter during each revolution thereof, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a revoluble frame having radial arms from which seats are suspended, said frame being supported upon a central revoluble pillow-block, a double-trun nioned connection, interposed between the frame and pillow-block whereby the axis of said frame may be tilted obliquely to that of said block, means for rotating said pillowblock upon roller-bearings, a central shaft swiveled within said frame and arranged to extend below said pillow-block, a gear-wheel at the lower end of said shaft, the axis of which coincides with that of the pillow-block, a toggle-joint connecting the lower end of said shaft with a lug upon the periphery of said gear-wheel, means for actuating said togglejoint to tilt said shaft, and means for simultaneously rotating said gear-wheel, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a revoluble seat-carrying frame pivotally mounted upon a central revoluble pillow-block having a vertical axis of a motor in operative connection with said revoluble pillow-block, shaft 20, gear 24 having its axis coincident with that of the pillow- ITO 

